Do you go to 3D movies or are they dying?

I like them but my friends always say no, let's go to the 2D version. Slashfilm ran a story about how they peaked in 2009 with the release of Avatar, but revenues of 3D films since then have dropped in half. They say IMAX has dropped them altogether and fewer films are being green-lit for 3D.

I used to like them, but since I started wearing glasses, I finally understand why my wife has always hated them so much. Wearing glasses over glasses to see a movie in 3d is terribly uncomfortable and makes the experience super poor.

I personally don't like seeing movies in 3D. First of all, I wear glasses, so layering 3D glasses in front is not comfortable. I also felt that 3D movies (even IMAX) lack a little bit of color, contrast, and clarity compared to their 2D counterparts. Too often have I seen a movie in 3D then again in 2D and thought: wow I didn't even realize how vibrant these scenes were. I've even completely missed visual details in the foreground and background of scenes since the 3D effect was emphasizing something else.

The one series that I'm glad I saw in 3D was The Hobbit. Only because I saw it in high frame rate 3D, which gave it a strange, almost live theatrical performance feel. It seemed less traditionally cinematic, but was a unique experience.

I had not seen a 3D movie in years but just watched Ready Player One in 3D. We concluded afterwards we would have preferred a sharp image on a regular screen. The 3D glasses did not provide the enhanced imagery I hoped for.

I don't like it. It's not just the glasses, although yes, I am not a fan (even before I got glasses!)

I don't have a lot of technical detail for my feeling, but I feel like 3D doesn't suit most movies. Avatar was filmed for 3D and directed to look beautiful and natural that way, instead of having it tacked on. The only other movie I've really liked in 3D was Coraline. For stop-motion, 'natural' isn't really a concern!

I often fail to discuss this preference with my friends when they're the ones choosing showtimes, but luckily it seems to be general (perhaps not surprising, since one of my movie buddies is legally blind in one eye!)

I don't, but I'm largely stereo-blind (my eyes both work fine, but they don't cooperate at all), so it's utterly lost on me. When I go to one with my wife, I have to wear the glasses jut to get rid of the blur.

I also tend to think that it's a visual trick that doesn't actually enhance the story telling, and can in fact, distract from it. The water droplet shot from Avatar, for instance, was beautiful, but pointless. Maybe I'm wrong about that and there are good examples (again, I'm physically unable to perceive the depth), but almost always it results in shots done to show off the effect, instead of improve the story telling.

That said, VR Movies where the camera is in the middle of the action, and set pieces can be triggered based on where you're looking are very interesting, even if we're still really early days on both the technology, story telling, and film making techniques necessary to make VR movies really pop.

There are many factors that play into the 3D viewing experience. Depending on the combination of them it can really enhance or ruin the movie for me. Here are the factors I take into the account:

1. Was the movie shot specifically for 3D? Many movies lately have simply been converted after the fact to give them perspective depth. This fake 3D is very difficult to pull off and something always doesn't look right with the movie.

2. Does 3D immersion enhances the plot? For action movies with 1st person scenes this is a big deal. When done right, you can feel like you are right there experiencing the thrills. For other movie genres it is an overkill and sometimes is very distracting.

3. Are you wearing have high quality 3D glasses? I actually bought an expensive set of Oakley HDO-3D glasses specifically designed for watching passive 3D content (you are not supposed to wear them outside). Those glasses were amazing to watch movies in, but they don't work for IMAX at all 😒! The glasses we usually get at the theaters are passable at best, but nowhere near as good as they should be. By design the are semi-disposable, which means that they are cheap and usually not handled with care. Scratches, oil and dirt really degrade the picture quality, which also is already dimmer and less vibrant to begin with.

If I get all 3 checkmarks on a specific movie then I'll watch it in 3D. These days, however, it is very challenging to hit this perfect combo.

Just had a detailed discussion with my wife this last Saturday as we were thinking of going to Ready Play One in 3D or not. Conclusion: 3D kind of distracts from the movie. We reviewed many movies we had gone to in 3D and concluded "waste of money" and didn't make it better, probably made it worse. My kids said no 3D too. By the time we came to consensus, there was no more standard times to see the movie before bed time, just 3D, so we went for a hike. Thanks 3D, I wanted to be outside anyways. ;-)

You really do have to remember to bring the glasses with you. I've forgotten to bring them a few times, while other times they were "incompatible" with the movie projection (doesn't work in IMAX). The combination of those 2 made it even less likely I'd go watch a 3D movie as often as I was hoping for.

Another point to consider is when you are going with someone. It doesn't feel right that you get a better immersion experience just because you have the "fancy 3D eyeglasses". It is unlikely your partner will ever buy a pair, so it makes me feel bad. So I like to share my glasses even just for a little with them. This makes the whole experience less enjoyable for both of us. Me, knowing that I'm seeing a better version of the movie and them wondering what they are missing out on.

I don't like them. They still look like pop up books and aren't worth the extra expense in my mind. In some cases they are worse than regular movies. I'm open to them improving in the future and spending the extra money on them if this is the case.